Puncture-closer.



J. H. RAND.

PUNGTURE GLOSER.

APPLICATION FILED 00121, 1901.

JAMES H. RND, OF NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

PUNCTUREfCLOSEB.

No. 892,306. i

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June so, isos.

' Application led October 21,1907. Serial No. 398,372.

To cllfwhom it may concern.'

Be it 'known that I, JAMES H. RAND, la citizenk of the United States, and resident of Newton,l in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Puncture-Closers,

of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to puncture closers designed for closing or repairin holes, cuts or punctures in tubing, and par icularly for re airin or closing punctures in the inner tu es o pneumatic tires. I

In .the accompanying drawings which illustrate certain embodiments of my invention-*Figure 1 is a side elevation of a puncture closer embodying myinvention; Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the center of Fig. 1 Fig. 3 is a side elevation of` another form of uncture closer embodying my-invention;

ig. 4 is a vertical section through the center of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a Iplan view of the puncture closer illustrated in Fig. 1; Fig. is a lan view of the puncture closer illustrated vin Fig; 3; Fig. 7 is a sectional view showing the puncture 'closer illustrated in Figs. `1 and 2 inserted in the hole of artire before the head plates are pinched and' clamped together or set; Fig. 8 is a sectional view showing the puncture closer of the forni illustrated in F igs. 3 and 4 inserted in the hole of a tire before the head plates are pinched and clam ed together or set; and Fig. El is a sectioiia view showing the position assumed by the forni of puncture closer shown in Fig. 7 when finally clamped or set in the tire.

The invention comprises essentially a pair of opposed head plates rigidly connected together by a stllf post, theiplates adapted. to be bent or flexed toward one another iositively and firmly to grip between their faces thc material of the tubing about the puncture or hole do be closed lo e-ll'ec-t an ail' tight seal. In accomplishing this it is sullicient il' one of the two head ilates'is bent while the other remains llat, although satisfactory results arc obtained by bending both of the head plates toward one another.

Other 'features of the invention will be. hereinafter set forth and more: particularly pointed out in the claims.

ltel'crring to the drawings, l and 2 rcpresent a pair of head plates which, as herein shown, are circular in forni though other shapes may be employed without. departing from the spirit of the invention. The head plates l and 2 are rigidly and permanently connected by a central stiff non-contractile post 3.

Iii the form of device shown in Figs. 1 and 2 both of the head plates, before being clamped and set in the tubing as hereinafter described, are substantially llat and parallel thr'oughout their general direction and leaving out of consideration the corrugations'. Upon the opposed faces of these head plates are annular corrugations 4, 4, the parts projecting from one surfaceregistering with recesses in` the other surface. Preferably, the opposed or gripping surfaces of said plates are coated or lined with rubber as shown at' 5 or with sonic similar compressible material im ervious to an'.

n the form of device shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the central post 3 is preferably inade of such height that the space between the opposed or gripping surfaces of the head plates shall be slightly greater than the thickness of the tubing to which the device is to be applied. 'lhis space could conceivably be ina de the same as the thickness of the tubing, but in order to facilitate the insertion of the device in the hole to be closed I preferablyr make the space a little greater than the thickness of the tubing.

In the form of device shown in Figs. 3 and 2 4 the construction is the saine as above set forth with the exception of one of the head plates, which, for convenience, may be termed the upper plate l, and which instead of being substantially ilat in general direction is slightly dished, or of concave convex form as shown. By the use of this con struction the post 3 may be made shorter and need not exceed in height the thickness of the tubing to which the article is to be applied, thusproviding a flatter puncture closer when the article is clamped and set. '.lhis dished form of plate also facilitates the insertion of the device in the uncture hole in the manner presently to )e described. Com leinentary corrugations and a coating of ru bor or the like. may 'be provided upon the o )posed clamping surfaces as already described.

'lhel operation of the device is as follows: 'lhe tubing l, having the puncture or hole to be scaled, is iliade of' elastic material. 'lhc holeI or puncture is stretched, first having been cut out clean, if desired, by4 soine suitable forni of punch, and the lower head plato 2 is passed through the stretched opening and the tubing al owed to spring back about the post Figs. 7 and 8 show the tivo forms of puncture closers above de scribed inserted in' the hole of a tube ready to be set. A pair. of pincers is then applied,` having preferably a flat surfaced lower jaw and a concave surtacedupper jaw. A torni of jaws suitable for the purpose is shown in dotted lines in Fig. 9 at 7 and 8. The tubing is collapsed as shown at 9 in Figs. 7

and-9, so thatA the lower plate 2 abuts substaiitially against the flat lower jaw of the pincers through' only the thickness of the material oi' tubing 9. Pressure is then ap y plied to the pincers and the concave upper SEQ jaw 7 ol the pincers bends the periphery of the upper head plate l toward the lower 'head plate 2, the general curvature of the upper plate conforming with the concave suriacejof the upper jaw 'of the pincers as shown in Fig. 9. This causes the opposed plates to be pinchedA .toward one another clampingJ and iirrnly'binding and sealing the material ot the tubingabout thc puncture between the opposed faces oi the plates. The seal is perfected and all possibility oi the leakage ot air avoided by the corrugations in the opposed surfaces of the head plates which indent and compress the inatcrial of the tubing, and by the coating of 'impervious coinpressible material 5, such as 3. A puncture closer comprising a pair of opposed head plates rigidly v'connected by a. non-contractile post, one at lleast of said plates being (lished and adapted to be peripherally flexed intopositive gripping relation with its opposed plate. s

4. A puncture closer comprising a pair ot opposed head plates rigidly connected by a non-contractile post, one of said plates being substantially flat, and the other -being dished and adapted to be peripberall)v flexed into positive gripping relation with said flat plate.

5, A puncture closer comprising a pair of opposed head plates rigidlyY connected by a non-retractile post.I` one atI least ot said plates adapted to be llexed into positive gripping relation with its opposed plate, and one of said plates having an annular channel and the other haring an annular rib registering with said channel when the plates. are

` pinched together into gripping relation.

6. A puncture closer comprising a pair ot opposed, circular head plates rigidly connected by a central non-contractile post, one of said plates being hat, and the other being (lished and adapted to be peripherally flexed into positive gripping relation with the flat plate, and complementary annular corrugations on the opposed faces of said plates.

7 A puncture closer comprising a pair of opposed headl plates rigidly connected by a' noncontractile post, one at least of said plat-es adapted to be llexed into positive gripping re ation with its op osed plate, the

.opposed gripping surfaces o said plates being coated with a. compressible material iinperviou's to air.

Signed by ine at Boston, Massachusetts, this tenth day of October, 1907.

' JAMES H. RAND. Witnesses:

CHARLES D. WooDBERRY, ROBERT OUSHMAN. l 

